Fulham 0-2 Chelsea: 5 Talking Points as Mudryk and Broja seal the Blues' second win of the season | Premier League 2023-24
Chelsea cruised to a straightforward 2-0 win over Fulham in the Premier League on Monday, October 2.
The Cottagers entered this contest on the back of two wins, two draws and two defeats in six games. Their last league game was a 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace as Bernd Leno starred between the sticks. Manager Marco Silva fielded a strong lineup in search of his team's third win.
The Blues, on the other hand, were worse off than their neighbors with one win, two draws and three defeats from their six games. Their last league outing was a 1-0 defeat at home to Aston Villa as Malo Gusto saw red for a rash tackle. Mauricio Pochettino made two changes as Armando Broja and Cole Palmer were given the nod.
Both Chelsea and Fulham made good starts to the game and the possession stats for the first period were nearly equal. However, the Blues were much more clinical in the final third and were better off at the half-time interval.
The visitors' first goal came after a lovely cross by Levi Colwill into the danger area, where Mykhaylo Mudryk brought it down with a deft touch. He then slotted the ball through Leno's legs to make it 1-0 after 18 minutes.
Armando Broja doubled their lead just a minute later as Fulham were left shell-shocked by their opponents' slick play.
Chelsea led 2-0 at the break.
The second half saw both managers keep their cards close to their chest as they approached it like a game of chess. Both Pochettino and Silva made changes at regular intervals but the Blues were struck with misfortune shortly after the hour-mark as Broja was subbed off with an injury.
Several yellow cards were shown in the second period as Chelsea used time management tactics to the best of their abilities.
Despite Fulham's attempts, the Blues protected their lead and ran out 2-0 winners.
On that note, let's take a look at the five talking points from this game.
#5. Mykhaylo Mudryk scored his first-ever goal for Chelsea
The Blues were rampant on the wings as their wing backs and wingers used the breadth of the field to their advantage. Their first goal came from the left side as Levi Colwill drove forward into the final third. He then played a lovely curling ball into the box, where Mudryk brought it down with his chest.
The Ukrainian then picked a lethal spot as he put it through the onrushing Bernd Leno's legs to make it 1-0. He looked ecstatic after grabbing his first goal for the Blues since joining.
#4. Armando Broja made it two goals in two minutes for the Blues
Fulham had a poor two minutes that left them with a mountain to climb as Chelsea pounced on the chances to score two quickfire goals.
Captain Tim Ream made a fatal error as he passed the ball straight to Cole Palmer, who controlled it before playing it to Broja ahead of him. The Albanian striker took one look at goal before passing the ball into the net with a lovely finish to make it 2-0.
The Cottagers were left distraught and their morale was visibly low following these two goals.
#3. Heartbreak for Broja as he suffers another injury
Nearly a year after injuring his ACL, Broja scored on his return to action with a lovely finish. However, his high was short-lived as he suffered an injury midway through the second half.
Most players struggle to get back to full game speed on their return and usually need a few games to catch up. Broja defied all odds as he looked like he never suffered an ACL injury and had a great game before suffering another setback.
#2. Fulham dominated possession in the second half without results
Fulham tried their level best to find a way back into the game and kept the ball for nearly 60% of the second half. They attempted nine shots with just three of those on target as Robert Sanchez did well to make three saves.
Marco Silva also made multiple substitutions to try and find one goal which would give Fulham some momentum. However, Pochettino managed his tactics well and guided his side to only their second win this season.
#1. Despite the win, the Blues are still in the bottom half of the table
Regardless of this result, Chelsea's start to the season has been far from ideal as they are 11th after seven games. The Blues have won two, drawn two and lost three games and have just eight points on the board.
What makes this start even more disappointing is the sheer amount of cash club owner Todd Boehly has pumped into acquiring new players. They have spent in excess of €1 billion in just three windows and have brought in new faces at an alarming rate.
While most of the newcomers are yet to settle in fully, things could get dire for Chelsea should they fail to find any sort of rhythm soon.